Why was the 17th amendment passed?

Answer 1

It allowed the people to vote for Senators instead of the State Legislatures and provided a contingency plan that gave the governor of each state the power to choose a new Senator when the seat was vacated before the next election.

Answer 2

The 17th amendment was passed in order to reduce governmental corruption and eliminate governmental deadlock. Before the passage of the 17th amendment, senators were elected by state legislators. Many senators and party officials used money and favors in order to influence those elections. Many state legislatures were divided along party lines and they could not agree on a candidate, which prevented them from conducting state business and which compromised the effectiveness of the United State Congress.

Answer 3

It was done to take power from the common man. If the constituent was displeased with their legislature's choice, they could vote the local members out of office. It was the essence of a Representative Republic. The 17th amendment allowed the Senator to buy his relection by bringing home the bacon like they do in the house. Doubt my answer? Look at the number of buildings & highways named in WV after Robert Byrd (D)? He was in the Senate for 51 years.

Direct election of the House of Representatives reflects the people's "temperature" and are reelected every (2) years. The Senate represented the state as a whole - where cooler heads were to prevail; until this amendment.

In the same way, the Electoral College protects the sovereignty of the states. This way, the states with the largest populations are not given the right to force the choice of the minority of states on the entire country.

Answer 4

The 17th amendment was enacted to ensure that United States senators were elected by the people. It also spells out what should be done with Senate vacancies.

Answer 5

The goal of the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution was to establish direct elections of US Senators. Before the passage of the Amendment, Senators were appointed by state legislatures.

Answer 6

it was passed so people could have direct election

Answer 7

Yes